WinZSTD

WinZSTD 1.2 is a lightweight native Windows GUI for creating .tar, .tar.zst and .zst archives using the built-in Windows tar.exe.

No external binaries.
No bundled tools.
No 7-Zip dependency.
Just Windows PowerShell, WinForms and Windows TAR.

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About

WinZSTD is a small GUI layer over native Windows tar.exe.

It is designed for users who want a simple way to create TAR/ZSTD archives without using command line tools or configuring archive options through Explorer menus.

The goal is simple:

Select input → choose compression level → create archive

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Features

• Native Windows PowerShell / WinForms GUI
• Uses built-in Windows tar.exe
• Creates .tar archives
• Creates .tar.zst archives
• Creates direct .zst files for single files
• Compression level slider from 0 to 22
• Level 0 = STORE / .tar
• Levels 1–22 = ZSTD compression
• Optional Create .tar before ZSTD
• TAR is automatically enforced for folders
• Bottom progress bar during archive creation
• Optional output folder opening after successful creation
• No external compression binaries required

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Screenshot

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Download

Latest release:

https://github.com/eco-by-different/winzstd/releases/latest

Direct EXE download:

https://github.com/eco-by-different/winzstd/releases/latest/download/WinZSTD.exe

Source code:

WinZSTD.ps1

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Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Built-in Windows tar.exe
• Windows PowerShell 5.1
• WinForms support available in Windows

No installation of Zstandard, 7-Zip, PeaZip or other archiving tools is required.

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Usage

1. Run WinZSTD.exe or WinZSTD.ps1
2. Select a file or folder
3. Choose destination archive path
4. Select compression level
5. Click CREATE ARCHIVE
6. Wait until the operation finishes

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Compression Levels

WinZSTD uses a simple compression timeline:

0 STORE ................................ 22 EXTREME

Recommended reference points:

0  = plain .tar archive
1  = fastest ZSTD compression
11 = balanced default level
19 = strong practical compression
22 = maximum ZSTD level

The highest level is not always the best practical choice.
For many files, level 19 can be a better balance between compression ratio, speed and resource usage than level 22.

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Version History

WinZSTD 1.2.0

• Added bottom progress bar during archive creation
• Added compact-clean code formatting
• Improved user feedback during processing
• Kept native Windows tar.exe backend
• Kept minimal WinForms interface
• Kept zero external binary dependency

WinZSTD 1.1.0

• Added compression level timeline from 0 to 22
• Added default compression level 11
• Added optional Create .tar before ZSTD mode
• Added direct .zst mode for single files
• Folder input automatically enforces TAR container
• Improved GUI layout

WinZSTD 1.0.0

• Initial public release
• Added basic STORE, NORMAL and EXTREME profiles
• Added native Windows TAR/ZSTD GUI powered by Windows tar.exe

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Philosophy

eco-by-different

Maximize efficiency.
Minimize waste.
Keep it practical.

WinZSTD follows this idea by using native Windows components and avoiding unnecessary bundled tools.

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License

MIT License